New Outlook Organizing

03/05/2025

Great news about local recycling!

11/04/2024

Local recycling opportunity!

09/03/2024

I love Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project (if you don't follow her, you should!). She has a great way of making small-ish tasks doable and fun. Clear the decks!

Clear the decks!

Here in the U.S., Labor Day marks the end of summer and the return to the routines of school and work. For many, September feels like the other January.

In episode 443 of the “Happier” podcast, we did a “Clear the Decks” exercise to help listeners make a fresh start—here’s the list in bingo format. Clearing the decks will help you feel more organized and energized.

We’ve heard from many listeners who love this approach. Check out the printable bingo card below, share your progress in the comments, and let us know what tasks we should include next time.

Print the bingo card: https://bit.ly/3TecKob

08/24/2024

I share this gold nugget with clients all the time! I love helping people get to a place where they can feel good about what they are NOT doing. 🙌

Do you know everything you are NOT doing?

05/15/2024

Yes!

04/13/2024

This is great news!

We just received our new boxes! We are now able to accept pens and markers, empty glue sticks and bottles, and metal and plastic bottle caps. This is what donations can help us do - thank you! 💚

If you would like to help us continue the work we are doing and expand the materials that we are able to accept, you can donate through the link here or through PayPal on our website.

is a small nonprofit organization, 100% run by volunteers and 100% funded by donations, created to help our community to and ♻️

04/08/2024

Don’t throw away those eclipse glasses! Here’s a way to “recycle” them for a good cause.

03/07/2024

I suspect many people (including myself!) are willing to part with a number of crafty items, but for some reason it’s harder to just donate that kind of thing as opposed to donating standard household stuff.

If you’re ready to offload some craft supplies you don’t need anymore, here’s a great opportunity to share with others who could use them!

Looking to swap out your art supplies? Check out the craft supply swap at Satellite Beach Library on March 9 from 10am to 12pm. Bring and swap as many supplies as you like! Please bring only new or gently-used items. Beach

For more library events: www.brev.org

01/03/2024

I’m always on the lookout for ways to recycle or reuse items that we don’t need anymore. This organization gives unwanted crayons a new life! 🖍️

12/17/2023

Another local source for donating old holiday lights! 🎄

Have yourself a sustainable holiday season! We have a few suggestions on how:
🎄Bring your broken, burned-out or old holiday string lights to our holiday light recycling event! This drive-thru drop-off event at the Zoo will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on January 20 and 21.
📱We'll also be accepting small electronics like smartphones, tablets, handheld gaming devices, digital cameras, chargers and headphones at this drive-thru drop-off point - but you can bring them to the Zoo for recycling whenever! The electronics drop-off box is located inside our administration office to the left of our ticket booth.

Read on for some more tips on having a more sustainable holiday season: https://brevardzoo.org/recycle-your-holiday-lights-at-the-zoo/

12/13/2023

Christmas lights broken? Here’s a local place to recycle them! 🎄

09/15/2023

This is a fantastic example of evaluating what works and what doesn’t in our daily and weekly routines! A situation can’t improve until we take some time to think about it. While these examples focus on helping kids with executive functioning, the same principles work for adults. 🙌

One of the most effective ways to teach kids executive functioning skills is to narrate your thought processes to them aloud. By 4th-5th grade, they’ve typically mastered the tasks themselves (hanging up backpacks, putting homework in their folders, completing chores), so we should accelerate and teach them how to mentally manage and own all of these tasks.

This mental time management, prioritization, and problem-solving is critical to their overall success as adults, both in daily life and in the workplace.

We’re a few weeks into the new school year. Today, we did a quick “temperature check” of how things are going with the systems and routines we’ve each put in place for ourselves.

Me: “Let’s think about the mornings - how do they feel overall?” They recalled we made it on time most mornings but we were late twice.

Me: “What made us late those days?”
They realized it was worse on trash-and-recycle mornings. I asked what adjustments they think we should make. They adjusted the Google calendar and Alexa reminders to ensure both get taken taken out the night before instead.

D said he can’t stand eating breakfast next to Little Sis who smacks and slurps her cereal.

Me: “What are some options?” He suggested he be allowed to eat in the living room instead. Yeah, no dice, Buddy. He asked if I could keep her upstairs longer to do her hair/shoes so he can finish breakfast before she comes down. “Let’s try it.”

One son made adjustments to his folder systems because apparently he’s received some zeros. The other rearranged when he visits his locker so he’s not carrying a soccer ball to class after lunch.

”What about later in the week?” We decided to add another gallon of milk to our online grocery order so we don’t run out. We shall see - I’ll check in with them again after the first report card comes out.

I want my kids to realize that I’m here to lead them, not criticize them when they drop the ball. I’m not punishing those zeros; I’m helping problem solve how to prevent them. The rest of their lives will be a series of attempts, failures, adjustments, course-corrections and re-sets. It’s okay to realize something isn’t working and try something else. This is how we learn and adapt. We do it together.

By narrating our thought processes, we teach them to think and plan ahead and strengthen their process-orientation. We help them realize they have agency and control over their own bodies, lives, and outcomes. We reinforce once again that we are NOT the owners of their rhythms and processes - they are.





{Image description: white text on black background reads: “Our kids need us to reject “us versus them” thinking, and compassionately embrace a posture of togetherness. - Ryan North}